My husband and I are currently paying PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) on our mortgage. (We have no second mortgages.) I know we need twenty percent equity in order to eliminate PMI, but I don’t think we’re quite there. Is taking out a home-equity line of credit to pay down the mortage a good idea? I know that we’d then have two loans to pay, but the PMI would be eliminate and all of our payments (minus the interest) would be going toward the loan rather that insurance. Is it possible to get a home-equity line of credit for 6%?

Answer:

To eliminate PMI you have to get an appraisal done to verify the your equity. An equity line of credit is a variable rate based on prime rate. I believe it is around 7-8% right now. I personally feel PMI is ok because HELOC’s are adjustable and you would end up paying more interest over time than insurance in most cases. You should contact your bank to see how and when eliminate you can stop paying this insurance (sometimes you cannot eliminate PMI for at least two years). If you calculate your interest payments on the HELOC to be less than PMI and you can pay the balance off quicker than having the insurance for two years then it’s a winner.